Dennis Seidenberg might have returned for Bruins in conference finals

Out since December with a torn right ACL and MCL, Seidenberg may have played against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference if his teammates had advanced past Montreal.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

BOSTON — Serving as one more knife to twist in Bruins' fans hearts after a Game 7 loss at home to the rival Canadiens was the discovery that had they won, they have have been getting Dennis Seidenberg back sooner rather than later.

Out since December with a torn right ACL and MCL, Seidenberg may have played against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference if his teammates had advanced past Montreal.

“There was a possibility, yeah,” coach Claude Julien said. “He’d been skating for almost a month and he started taking a little bit of contact, and I think that would have been a discussion that we would have had heading into the next round.”

Seidenberg began skating April 8 and took light contact Monday. He was now 18 weeks post-surgery, and his rehabilitation has gone far smoother than anyone could have imagined.

There's no telling what the Bruins might have done with a veteran presence like Seidenberg back in the lineup. A weakness in this postseason was the second left-side defenseman, with Matt Bartkowski and Andrej Meszaros flipping back and forth. Bartkowski played the final four games against the Habs, and his lack of awareness on his second shift allowed Dale Weise to sneak backdoor for the opening goal of the game.

Fellow rookie Kevan Miller also had a gaffe in Game 7, going for a big hit on Brendan Gallagher that allowed for a Montreal 2-on-1 after Patrice Bergeron turned the puck over.

“Certainly those things really hurt us again,” Julien said. “Young player missing his assignment as far as awareness [on Weise's goal], and they get that early goal in the first couple minutes of the period. So those are things we have to face and look at and say, you know what? That’s of our own doing and we have to live with that.”

That use of young defensemen would have been mitigated had Seidenberg returned to the lineup. He could have taken pressure off Zdeno Chara, who didn't perform well in the final two games of this series as the Bruins were outscored 7-1.

Had they pulled this out, perhaps they get back to full strength sooner rather than later and could set another date for the Stanley Cup Final.

“I think if we would have gotten through Montreal here, it would have been a very good position,” Brad Marchand said. "I mean, Seids coming back and we’re feeling good, big Game Seven win — but we didn’t. They played great and they battled hard, so it doesn’t matter.”